New Planning Guidance

DCLG has published the final version of our consolidated planning practice guidance and also our response to a consultation on making it easier to change the use of redundant and under-used buildings.

The Coalition Government is committed to reforming the planning system to make it simpler, clearer and easier for people to use. We are also committed both to ensuring that countryside and environmental protections continue to be safeguarded, and to devolving power down not just to local councils, but also down to neighbourhoods and local residents.

An accessible planning system

Planning should not be the exclusive preserve of lawyers, developers or town hall officials. This Government inherited over 7,000 pages of complex, overlapping and repetitive planning practice guidance. This is in addition to planning policy contained with the consolidated National Planning Policy Framework. A streamlined version of the practice guidance can now be found online in one place at: http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk

We have carefully listened to representations from colleagues in recent Parliamentary debates. In particular, to help councils with their Local Plans, we are:

In August 2013, DCLG published a consultation paper on a further set of greater flexibilities for change of use. These reforms will save time and money for applicants and councils, encourage the re-use of empty and under-used buildings, and support brownfield regeneration. The reforms include:

• Allowing for retail to residential change of use, outside key shopping areas like the town centre and main high street. We recognise the importance of retaining adequate provision of services that are essential to the local community such as post offices, so measures will allow for the protection of such local services.

• Increasing access to retail banking and to encourage new entrants in the retail banking market, by allowing shops to change to banks, building societies, credit unions and friendly societies. This does not cover betting shops or payday loan shops.

• Providing new homes in rural areas by a limited agricultural to residential change of use. These reforms will make better use of redundant or under-used agricultural buildings, increasing rural housing without building on the countryside. We recognise the importance to the public of safeguarding environmentally protected areas, so this change of use will not apply in protected areas such as National Parks or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

• Extending access to education and childcare: extending the existing permitted development rights for change of use to state-funded schools to cover new registered nurseries. Agricultural buildings up to 500 square metres will also be able to change to state-funded schools and registered nurseries.

I believe that these are a practical and reasonable set of changes that will help facilitate locally-led development, encourage brownfield regeneration and promote badly-needed new housing at no cost to the taxpayer. The reforms complement both the Coalition Government’s decentralisation agenda and our long-term economic plan.

One Comment

I think the above letter tells us all we need to know about the complexities of planning and how it has now got completely out of control with government rules and regulations..

It used to be so simple years ago?

If you put in an application, it was debated by the Local Council on the basis of need/demand and design ?.

Pray tell me what is wrong with this very simple method.
Why do we need people from outside to get involved at all !!!!!.

About John Redwood

John Redwood won a free place at Kent College, Canterbury, He graduated from Magdalen College Oxford, has a DPhil and is a fellow of All Souls College. A businessman by background, he has been a director of NM Rothschild merchant bank and chairman of a quoted industrial PLC.